Gas main work makes Canonbury crossing ‘unsafe’

12 October, 2018

Chiannah Bakari crossing the road with her youngest child in a buggy

PARENTS hit out an “unsafe” crossing near a Canonbury primary school this week.

Workers are replacing gas mains at the junction of Canonbury Road and Canonbury Square. This has involved closing one side of the pavement, leaving pedestrians to cross the road without any signals, before reaching pedestrian crossings at the junction.

Chiannah Bakari, 38, who crosses the road twice a day with her three children, two of whom attend Canonbury Primary School, said: “It’s really unsafe.”

Sara Vanden Bon, whose son and daughter attend the school, agreed: “It’s not safe. All it needs is another pedestrian crossing here.”

School head Patrick Mildren said: “The crossing is very challenging for families. It’s not really conducive to the safest of walks to school.”

After the Tribune contacted Cadent Gas, a new temporary pedestrian crossing light was due to be installed.

A spokesman said: “We are carrying out essential work to replace ageing gas mains beneath the pavement, which is why the pedestrian access on this side of the road has been temporarily suspended.

“We’ve taken on board these concerns and are looking to see if improvements to the current traffic management and pedestrian access can be made.”

He added: “The work we’re doing in the area will help ensure local people remain connected to safe and reliable gas supplies for cooking and heating.

“If people have any questions or concerns about our work they can contact our project’s community relations team on 0800 389 8261 or email info@communityrelations.co.uk.”